As Charles Leclerc charged up Eau Rouge on lap 19 in the lead of the Belgian Grand Prix the 109,000-strong crowd rose to its feet and broke into applause.
But the ovation wasn’t for him; it was for Anthoine Hubert, who less than 24 hours earlier had lost his life tackling that same turn.
It was an emotional fan-led tribute to the Frenchman, who had borne the number 19 on his pink Arden Formula Two car, and a poignant reminder of the ever-present dangers of motor racing that now faced Leclerc and his Formula One rivals as they rocketed down the Kemmel Straight at in excess of 300 kilometres per hour.
The Formula One race was thankfully won and run without major incident, but the Formula Two feature race on Saturday evening hadn’t got away so luckily when 22-year-old Hubert, a Renault Sport Academy junior driver, became caught up in a catastrophic series of events on the second lap.
Cars were scrambling to avoid Giuliano Alesi’s stricken Trident at the crest of Raidillon, and in the chaos Hubert lost control and smacked heavily into the outside barriers.
Juan Manuel Correa was the next driver to take to the run-off area in avoidance of the melee, but as he did so Hubert’s car spun back towards the track. The two made contact at 270 kilometres per hour and slammed back into the barriers.
The race was called off and the medical team was quickly in attendance, but while Correa could be treated for leg fractures and a spinal injury, Hubert paid for the crash with his life.
The paddock was plunged into grief.
Such a loss affects everyone differently, but for drivers it can be visceral. Performance is in part be built on psychologically suppressing the urge to slow down in the interests of self-preservation; a racing fatality forces those emotions straight back to the surface.
“I don’t think any of us actually wanted to be here or wanted to race,” Daniel Ricciardo said on Sunday night. “Once you get that adrenaline of the competition then you kind of put it towards the back, but to completely remove it today was impossible. It was still there.
“It was certainly tough to be here and try to put on a brave face for everyone.”
But the fact that drivers continue to race only hours after losing one of their own is tacit acknowledgement of the bargain they strike with themselves to race at the highest level of the sport — that danger is an inalienable part of motor racing.
Decades of diligence by the FIA means upper-echelon motorsport today rarely encounters such serious crashes, but while racing can always be made safer, it can never really be made safe.
For all the advancements in driver protection over the history of racing, the act of propelling yourself at extreme speed around a ribbon of tarmac can never be completely riskless. That flirtation with danger is part of the thrill, and though no driver is excited by the prospect of losing their life on the race track, the line between danger and death is fine.
“If a single one of you watching and enjoying this sport think for a second what we do is safe, you’re hugely mistaken,” Hamilton said via Instagram. “All these drivers put their life on the line when they hit the track and people need to appreciate that in a serious way because it is not appreciated enough. Not from the fans nor some of the people actually working in the sport.
“Anthoine is a hero as far as I’m concerned for taking the risk he did to chase his dreams. I’m so sad that this has happened.
“Let’s left him up and remember him. Rest in peace, brother.”
Formula One forged on in Hubert’s memory. People wore black armbands, cars were liveried with memorial stickers and a moving minute’s silence was observed before the race in the presence of Anthoine’s brother and mother and one of his helmets.
But then the drivers got on with it as they always do. They diced at high speed, dancing on the edge of physics at extreme speed in pursuit of the ultimate rush of victory at the risk of the gut-wrenching loss of the previous 24 hours, the contradiction eternally at the heart of motorsport.
There could be only one acceptable result on such a day, and Leclerc fulfilled the prophecy and emerged victorious. It was his maiden Formula One win, a destiny first written when he started racing as a boy with Hubert and Formula One contemporaries Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, but the joy clashed darkly with the sadness of losing a long-time friend.
“There was quite a bit of emotion before the race, then once I got in the car, as I did for my father two years ago, you needed to put all the emotions apart and focus on the job, which is exactly what I did,” Leclerc said.
“Then you realise at the end of the race, and all the emotions come back once you cross the finish line.”
It’s the same mental deal every driver makes as they climb into the cockpit. On this sad weekend the sport called the deal in.
Repose en paix, Anthoine.
Michael Lamonato
Expert
Not sure what you mean, mate. I said team orders were rarely deployed in Vettel's favour because he was regularly faster than his teammate, and you seem in furious agreement.
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
Peroni has fractured a vertebrae but is extremely lucky to come away relatively unscathed. Thank goodness for the halo! Juan Manuel Correa's condition is critical but stable. He is currently on a life support machine in a London hospital. His family hope that he can pull another one of his surprises. Today's F2 race has gone well with 17 out of 20 cars running. While it's been emotionally tough on the drivers, they have put on a great show and they should be applauded for doing so.
Simoc
Guest
We've just seen a huge crash at Monza with Australian Alex Peroni launching off a kerb in an F3 race. While he seems to be ok the bad news is that Juan Correa has suffered an acute respiratory failure and has been placed in an induced coma in intensive care. Let us hope he can pull through this tragic accident.
anon
Roar Pro
I think any negative emotions towards Vettel come from the idea that he was emotionally favoured by the team — also occasionally actually favoured like that at 2010 British GP — and still in a phase of arrogant youth. Like you say, team orders rarely came into given he was usually faster by Webber by the end of their time as teammate. Absolutely ridiculous. Alonso had teammates sacrifice races, grid positions for him. Hamilton had a toxic relationship with Rosberg, used Bottas as his rear gunner throughout 2017/18. Vettel had demonstrated clear superiority throughout 2009 and into 2010. They gave the wing to Vettel because they felt he had more chance of winning. This pales into insignificance compared to having Massa giving up positions for Alonso, Bottas sacrificing his races and a win for Hamilton. Similar for Vettel in that regard, I think. It was rare Raikkonen had to be ordered into compromising his race for Vettel because he wasn’t often anywhere near him — though that doesn’t credit those times Ferrari would be so focussed on Vettel that the other car would fall into a bad strategy, for example. I think it was more a case of Ferrari rolling the dice with Kimi because he was so far out of contention compared to Vettel. Germany last year, Ferrari were so hell bent on being "fair" that they cost Vettel valuable time having him sit behind Kimi. It put Vettel under unnecessary pressure causing him to crash in changeable conditions. Compare that to Mercedes who demanded Bottas move over and let Hamilton win. You've got it all backwards.
Michael Lamonato
Expert
I think any negative emotions towards Vettel come from the idea that he was emotionally favoured by the team — also occasionally actually favoured like that at 2010 British GP — and still in a phase of arrogant youth. Like you say, team orders rarely came into given he was usually faster by Webber by the end of their time as teammate. Similar for Vettel in that regard, I think. It was rare Raikkonen had to be ordered into compromising his race for Vettel because he wasn't often anywhere near him — though that doesn't credit those times Ferrari would be so focussed on Vettel that the other car would fall into a bad strategy, for example.
anon
Roar Pro
I assume it goes back to Sepang 2013 because I can't understand the negativity towards Vettel. It's always implied that he's benefited from team orders, when Hamilton and Alonso both benefited from team orders far more than Vettel ever has. Ferrari has barely issued a team order in the Vettel era, unlike their era with Alonso. Mercedes used team orders constantly in 2017/18 despite having the best car. I actually think Ferrari have been stupid in not issuing team orders because Mercedes never thought twice to sacrifice Bottas.
Michael Lamonato
Expert
Bit much to say "hated to this day". I haven't heard anyone reference that race in years until today. In any case it shows that it's not only Hamilton who might problems with team orders. But you're right to say there haven't been any issues with team orders in Ferrari this season. You'd have to say, though, that the only occasions on which they've been used with victory at stake, one driver (Leclerc) has been undeniably faster and so there's been no opportunity to make a fuss. How will the team approach the race if the drivers were evenly matched this weekend? That's what'll be interesting. If Ferrari is a clear cut above Mercedes in qualifying and the race, one of either Leclerc or Vettel will have to finish second.
anon
Roar Pro
I know, except Hamilton was on the radio throughout 2018 begging for the team to use Bottas as his rear gunner. When it's Hamilton's turn to play fair he doesn't. Funny how Vettel was roundly criticised (and hated to this day) for racing Webber at Sepang 2013.
Simoc
Guest
That's a trait of World Champions. No one belongs or should ever be in front of them. You've gotta remember your number one opponent is your teammate who you have to help and beat,
anon
Roar Pro
I stand corrected. It does look like Correa does have a rear puncture.
anon
Roar Pro
There's no issue with team orders at Ferrari. Both guys have demonstrated they are team players. The only driver that doesn't play fair with his teammate is Hamilton. Still owes him for Russia last year. Rosberg routinely moved over when asked but Hamilton would always ignore the team when it was his turn.
Michael Lamonato
Expert
A very interesting weekend for the Ferrari dynamic. We all remember how badly the team managed the Italian Grand Prix last year. Can Ferrari deal with it this season? What happens if Vettel fires out of the box? Who'll get the quali slipstream. Fascinating weekend we've got ahead of us on that front. I'm very excited to see how Albon can do. The second half of his race was exactly the kind of thing RBR would have wanted to see — and would have wanted from Gasly during the first 12 races. That said, it was only one race and a lot of the people he passed, Ricciardo in particular, were on slower and ageing tyres relative to his. Take nothing away from him, however; he still had to nail the passes in a car he'd only first driven two days earlier, so it's a big tick first time out. He'll be leading the team in Italy given Verstappen will start with a penalty, so it'll be another big test, then the head-to-heads with Max will begin from Singapore.
Michael Lamonato
Expert
Look, we shouldn't pre-empt the FIA report on exactly what happened. Telemetry and footage not broadcast will reveal a much clearer picture of exactly what happened. For example, I've heard that Correa had picked up a puncture in Eau Rouge. Boschung had picked up a puncture moments earlier from debris from Alesi'a car. Latifi had also picked up a puncture in an unrelated incident at the hairpin, so there could've been other debris on the circuit from this. Bottom line is it's unclear, and it's pretty unfair to apportion blame when we have a fairly limited view of the full set of circumstances. To call it a "brain fade from the American" is extremely premature and, frankly, uncalled for. That said, what I will add is that the Eau Rouge-Raidillon complex of corners is both extremely fast and largely unsighted. It's easy to suggest Hubert or Correa should've hit the brakes hard immediately, but on the second lap with cars still bunched up and with cars already off-line to avoid Alesi, it could have been just as, if not more, dangerous. After all, a slow car a little past the peak of an unsighted crest is exactly what set this accident in motion; imagine had one of their car been even closer to the peak.
anon
Roar Pro
Correa kept his foot to the floor on the run off while chaos was unfolding in front of him. A lot of drivers are guilty of it. It cost Jules Bianchi his life. He scrubbed off virtually no speed through double yellow flags in monsoon conditions. It's not so much the drivers I'm concerned about but track marshalls. We don't need another Tom Pryce accident.
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
Both of you, just stop it! Stop trying to analyse the crash in a way that puts blame on drivers. Especially you Anon, trying to blame Hubert for his own death – how disrespectful! The crash happened. Could it have been avoided? Maybe but now is not the time to discuss it!
anon
Roar Pro
You saw the accident differently to me. Huberts car was rolling across the escape road when Correa hit him midships. A brain fade from the American who drove straight into him still going very quickly and taking no evasive action at all. That's what I've been thinking. This crash started when Alesi lost it coming out of Eau Rouge. Hubert has then taken to the run off to avoid Alesi, lost control and gone into the wall. The car in front of Hubert jumped on the brakes, Hubert was caught napping by the car that braked and went into the barrier taking avoiding action. Hubert's made a big error here by not jumping on the brakes as soon as Alesi pitched it into the wall. But Correa -- who has seen this unfold in front of him -- has basically kept his foot to the floor on the run off. We're talking split seconds here, but as soon as Alesi hit the wall coming out of Eau Rouge (most dangerous part of the course), surely you jump on your brakes as a precaution? Not floor it through a run off.
Simoc
Guest
You saw the accident differently to me. Huberts car was rolling across the escape road when Correa hit him midships. A brain fade from the American who drove straight into him still going very quickly and taking no evasive action at all. The Spa race was notable for Leclercs first GP win and Ferraris first this season. Also Leclerc pretty much became the Number One Ferrari driver and has outqualified Vettel 6 times in a row now but never more convincingly than the weekend. Vettels career may be coming to an end. And Albon showed straight up what he is capable of pulling off a ripping pass on Daniel Ricciardo. He had Verstappens measure in the karting World and European championships and according to Russell and Norris he is the one they revered at junior level. So I'm sure he believes he can beat Verstappen again. It should make for good racing.